2024 Ford Mustang price hikes confirmed

The new-generation 2024 Ford Mustang will start from $64,990 plus on-road costs when it arrives in the second quarter of next year, marking a price hike of more than $12,000 compared to the outgoing pony car.

That headline figure is for the base EcoBoost Fastback, which replaces the High Performance nameplate and sees the manual gearbox option removed from the four-cylinder version.

The manual deletion accounts for part of the higher entry pricing, but even factoring that in, the cheapest S650 variant is still $9000-plus more expensive than its direct S550 counterpart.

V8 pricing will open from $77,002 plus ORCs for the six-speed manual GT Fastback, which also marks a circa-$12,000 price hike over the outgoing version.

Add the 10-speed automatic transmission to the equation and the GT’s price tag jumps to $80,902 plus ORCs, followed by the GT Convertible which will be offered here exclusively with an automatic from $86,752 plus ORCs.

As previously reported, the Australian Mustang portfolio will be crowned by the more intense but limited-edition Dark Horse.

Just 1000 examples of the Dark Horse will be available here, with the manual starting from $99,102 and the auto from $103,002 plus ORCs.

Having spent more than a year drooling at the prospect of the Dark Horse slamming down 373kW/567Nm in tandem with a more aggressive chassis tune on local roads, we’re heartbroken to report that Aussie versions will only produce 349kW/548Nm.

According to Ford, the Australian Dark Horse’s engine is fitted with a different exhaust manifold and calibration to the US versions “to suit different noise and emission regulations”.

GMSV has done similar with the upcoming Chevrolet Corvette Z06.

A local Ford spokesperson also said the “US and ECE rating procedures are also different”, referring to how outputs are measured in different markets.

Regardless, the watering down means the long-awaited Dark Horse only packs an extra 2kW over the GT and actually loses 2Nm to its lesser stablemate, despite an $18,200 price premium.

And we’re afraid the bad news doesn’t stop there, because Aussies GTs will also be pegged back from the Yank-spec 358kW/563Nm to 347kW/550Nm, meaning the volume-selling V8-powered GT only packs an extra 8kW over its predecessor and forgoes 6Nm of torque.

The EcoBoost is slightly better off in that while it has suffered a hit to the kilowatt count versus the outgoing version (232kW vs 236kW), the four-cylinder S650 generates much more torque (475Nm vs 448Nm), which should make for more tractable performance on the open road.

Included on all Australian-delivered new-generation Mustangs is a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster, 13.2-inch SYNC4 infotainment interface, 12-speaker B&O sound system, LED headlights, Active Valve performance exhaust and Brembo brakes.

The uprated braking package is optional in North America but offered as standard Down Under, along with an enlarged radiator and more powerful cooling fans on all variants.

Aussie GTs also score an auxiliary engine oil cooler and black 19-inch aluminium wheels wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero rubber.

The track-ready Dark Horse steps things up from there with MagneRide adaptive dampers, stiffer springs, Torsen rear differential, six-piston front brakes acting on beefier 390mm rotors, auxiliary brake cooling ducts, a transmission cooler and rear axle cooler.

Its extra capabilities are alluded to by its more purposeful exterior and sportier cabin, which is headlined by microsuede trim inserts, Bright Indigo Blue stitching, blue seat belts, Black Alley trim and unique flat-bottom steering wheel with a dedicated drive mode shortcut button.

Optional extras for the Dark Horse include blue Recaro bucket seats ($2950) and an Appearance Pack ($2750) comprising blue brake callipers, black roof and available Blue Ember prestige paint finish.

As for the rest of the range, the Fastbacks can be had with their own Appearance Pack ($1500) while the GTs will be available with a separate Black Pack ($1500), leaving MagneRide adaptive dampers ($2950) and Recaro seats ($2950) exclusively available on the GT Fastbacks.

Prestige paint will set you back $750 on all variants, with Oxford White and Race Red being the only no-cost colours.

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